2.20
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः ।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṃ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues, in four quarters of eleven, and this is the verse the stretch is for. Meter: triṣṭubh (त्रिष्टुभ्). Four quarters, eleven syllables each, forty-four in the verse.
The verse
He is not born and does not die at any time, and having come to be he will not be again nor cease to be; unborn, eternal, constant, ancient, this one is not killed when the body is being killed.
नेपालीमा
ऊ कहिल्यै जन्मिँदैन र कहिल्यै मर्दैन, भइसकेपछि फेरि हुनेछैन न त हुन छोड्नेछ। यो अजन्मा, नित्य, सधैँ रहने र पुरातन हो, शरीर मारिँदा यो मारिँदैन।
Where it sits
This is the sentence 2.11 opened toward: the one in the body is not born when a body is born and is not killed when a body is killed. The names to keep are aja (अज), nitya (नित्य), śāśvata (शाश्वत), purāṇa (पुराण).
Split: न + जायते + म्रियते + वा + कदाचित् + न + अयम् + भूत्वा + भविता + वा + न + भूयः + अजः + नित्यः + शाश्वतः + अयम् + पुराणः + न + हन्यते + हन्यमाने + शरीरे
na + jāyate + mriyate + vā + kadācit + na + ayam + bhūtvā + bhavitā + vā + na + bhūyaḥ + ajaḥ + nityaḥ + śāśvataḥ + ayam + purāṇaḥ + na + hanyate + hanyamāne + śarīre
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| जायते | jāyate | present, 3rd singular, middle | is born. |
| म्रियते | mriyate | present, 3rd singular, middle | dies. |
| वा | vā | indeclinable | or. |
| कदाचित् | kadācit | indeclinable | at any time. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| अयम् | ayam | nominative | this one. |
| भूत्वा | bhūtvā | gerund of bhū (भू) | having come to be. |
| भविता | bhavitā | periphrastic future, nominative | he will be. |
| वा | vā | indeclinable | or. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| भूयः | bhūyaḥ | indeclinable | again. |
| अजः | ajaḥ | nominative | unborn. |
| नित्यः | nityaḥ | nominative | eternal. |
| शाश्वतः | śāśvataḥ | nominative | constant, perpetual. |
| अयम् | ayam | nominative | this one. |
| पुराणः | purāṇaḥ | nominative | ancient. |
| न | na | indeclinable | not. |
| हन्यते | hanyate | present, passive | is killed. |
| हन्यमाने | hanyamāne | locative, present passive participle | while being killed. |
| शरीरे | śarīre | locative | in the body. |
The phrases
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit (न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचित्) denies birth and death. He is not born, or he does not die, at any time. kadācit (कदाचित्) before the next na (न) is recited kadācin (कदाचिन्).
na ayam bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ (न अयम् भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः) is this one in time. Having come to be, he will not be again, and the vā na (वा न) sets beside that the other denial, that he will not not-be again. न + अयम् na + ayam is nāyam (नायम्).
ajaḥ nityaḥ śāśvataḥ ayam purāṇaḥ (अजः नित्यः शाश्वतः अयम् पुराणः) names him. Unborn, eternal, constant, ancient, this one. ajaḥ (अजः) before nityaḥ (नित्यः) is ajo (अजो). शाश्वतः + अयम् śāśvataḥ + ayam is śāśvato 'yam (शाश्वतोऽयम्). purāṇaḥ (पुराणः) before na (न) is purāṇo (पुराणो).
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे) is the killing. He is not killed in the body that is being killed.
Sanskrit in this line
hanyamāne śarīre (हन्यमाने शरीरे) is a locative absolute. Both words are locative: the participle "being killed," and the body. It gives the time. "When the body is being killed." ayam (अयम्) is not in that locative. He is the nominative of na hanyate (न हन्यते). If you make śarīre (शरीरे) the thing that is not killed, you have reversed the verse.
Say it back
The four names, and the locative of the body being killed. śarīre (शरीरे) is the time, not the one who survives.